THE involvement of a controversial entrepreneur in a new business body has come under fire.

Rikki Hunt is one of the faces involved in setting up the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, which tries to attract private investment and grants from the Government.

It was incorrectly circulated on the internet on Monday that Mr Hunt, who led floundering council-backed Wi-fi firm Digital City, had become the new chairman of the LEP. In fact, the board’s management structure is still to be drawn up.

But Mr Hunt did not rule out being involved on the board once it is established.

“There are no posts created until we have this meeting in the coming weeks,” he said.

“What we’ll be doing is having a meeting in the next week or two to decide who the interim board are and take it from there.”

He expects the holding board to be set up in August, and it will then select member for the 12-strong board. He said it is possible he would come on board if others invited him to.

Long-time wi-fi critic Des Morgan, of Caraway Drive, said: “I, on the record, just think Rikki Hunt’s past association with the council in the wi-fi project, the failure of that project to come to fruition, and the unexplained spending of £250,000, should disqualify him from any participation on the LEP.”